The Invention of Lying
The more I think about this film, the less I like it. I actually rate Ricky Gervais as an actor: and thoroughly enjoyed his comic turns in The Office, Extras and Ghost Town. But this is not amongst his best work and also demonstrates his limitations as a screenwriter and director.
The first half is watchable and reasonably funny. The premise of an alternative world where everyone tells the truth creates some amusing moments, particularly the scenes featuring Rob Lowe and Tina Fey. But - despite some great A-list cameos - the second half is directionless, flat and incredibly twee. The audience yearns for Gervais's character to really abuse his new-found ability to lie, but he doesn't. Why? Because deep down he's a nice fat bloke who's inexplicably in love with a vacuous, superficial woman played by Jennifer Garner.
There are also too many in-jokes that fall flat on their behinds, including the painfully unfunny voiceover and a cringe-worthy scene featuring Stephen Merchant and Barry from EastEnders.
In the last few days, I've reduced The Invention of Lying's rating from three-stars to two. I intend to stop thinking about this film, before it slides into one-star territory!
